The "smoke" that briefly touched me dissipated.

However, more smoke continued to escape from the Cathedral of Storms, floating in the air, gathering and dispersing, like a dark cloud, gathering invisibly over Plande, and covering an increasingly large area, gradually covering half of the city-state.

There was still a hint of coldness on Duncan's fingertips. He frowned slightly and looked up at the sky above the city, his heart filled with doubts.

The grayish-white mist gave him a feeling... as if some huge creature had lost its form, and its soul was rising in the real dimension, unrestrainedly transforming into this appearance. It was also as if something behind the real dimension was gradually releasing its perception, using the mist as tentacles to "feel" the outline of the real world.

The second feeling was particularly obvious when he touched the smoke.

"Uncle Duncan?" Nina's voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting Duncan's wild thoughts, "What are you doing with your hand stretched out?"

"...Nothing." Duncan blinked and said softly.

Obviously, Nina couldn't see the smoke - nor could Shirley and Alice beside her, nor could the ordinary people gathered in and around the pier.

But can the people in the Cathedral of Storms see it? Can the pope who sits in the cathedral and is regarded as the spokesperson of the "Storm Goddess Gemona" on earth see it?

Duncan quietly watched the magnificent "Ark" that was almost as big as the entire port area, watching it slow down at the edge of Plande, watching its side mechanisms slowly deform, extending a long mechanical bridge as if growing some kind of limb, and connecting with the pier at the port.

The amorphous and invisible smoke expanded significantly during this process.

Duncan did not sense any hostility from the fog, nor did he perceive any danger, so he took no action for the time being.

※※※

Following the requirements of the ceremony, after cannon salutes were fired and vocal music was played in Pland Harbor to show welcome, the Storm Cathedral released the long mechanical bridge to complete the connection between the Pilgrimage Ark and the city-state. Then, a second melodious and solemn whistle sounded from the Ark.

The huge steam valve rotated open, and the pressure relief pipes and whistle devices in various parts of the Pilgrimage Ark were activated at the same time. Streams of white air gushed out from the walls and spire of the church, and went straight into the sky to the sound of the whistle.

The bell towers on the city-state and church arks rang at the same time.

Vanna took a deep breath - standing in such a solemn scene, even as a judge, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the moment.

After a while, she saw some colorful flags appearing on the edge of the church ark. Then, a team of knights wearing special armor appeared on the long mechanical bridge. They rode steam walkers and came to the dock along the mechanical bridge. One of them walked straight out and came in front of a group of senior priests.

"Bishop Valentine, Inquisitor Vanna, the glory of the Lord of Storms is with you."

The commander of the Crusader Knights lowered his head - his entire body was covered in armor made of black alloy, and the structure of pressurized pipes and steam valves could be seen on his breastplate and arm guards. A thick steel mask obscured the knight's true face. Vanna could only see a faint red light in his goggles and hear the hissing sound of air flow in his voice.

Steam is the breath of God, steel is the bridge between man and God, and under the visor, the hissing airflow in the words carries the holiness of preaching.

"The glory of the Lord of Storms is with you." Vanna lowered her head and said together with Bishop Valentine beside her.

"His Holiness invites the two of you to board the Ark," the commander of the Knights of the Church said amid the hissing sound of the air current, "The rest of you please wait a moment."

Vanna looked up in surprise, and then subconsciously looked at Bishop Valentine, only to see that the latter also looked confused.

Is this part of the ceremony?

"This is a temporary arrangement by the Pope," the commander of the Knights of the Church of Christ explained, noticing the confusion of the two high-ranking priests in front of him, "She has something she wants to know from you."

"I will follow your Majesty's arrangements." Bishop Valentine immediately suppressed the confusion in his expression and said respectfully with his head bowed.

Vanna next to him also reacted immediately and lowered her head to show her obedience to the order.

"Please wait for a moment, priests and city officials - you can also go to the side and take a rest," the commander of the Knights of the Guardian looked at Dante and others, nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, we won't have to wait too long."

Vanna and Bishop Valentine stepped onto the mechanical bridge leading to the Storm Cathedral - the magnificent cathedral was getting closer and closer in her sight, and it also exuded an increasingly breathtaking and even suffocating aura of majesty.

Just by getting closer to it, Vanna felt her heart starting to pound.

Bishop Valentine noticed the hesitation in Vanna's steps. The old man shook his head gently and said, "Relax, this is not the first time you have met His Holiness the Pope."

“…Yes, I understand.”

Led by a team of crusader knights, Vanna and Valentine crossed the long bridge, walked across the connecting deck that was almost as wide as the dock square, and were finally taken into a huge elevator.

Vanna thought the elevator would take her to somewhere on the upper level of the church ark, but inside she felt the entire cabin sinking.

The sinking process of the car lasted for a long time, so long that Vanna couldn't help but begin to suspect that this elevator went directly to the sea. The creaking sound of the steel cable running in her ears suddenly stopped.

The elevator door opened.

The voice of the Knight of the Church came from the side: "Please go forward on your own. His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you in front."

Vanna followed Valentine out of the elevator in a daze. She heard the fence door behind her slam shut with a friction sound. Then they looked forward and saw a place almost completely shrouded in darkness.

One could only vaguely see a figure in gorgeous clothes standing in the middle of the extremely dim room.

Vanna hesitated for a moment and took a step forward.

As she took a step forward, the slight explosion of the flame suddenly broke the silence in the dim space.

Bang, bang, bang. With a series of slight explosions, several braziers were lit one after another. The flames suddenly dispelled the darkness near the elevator, allowing Vanna to see Pope Helena standing not far away. At the same time, she was shocked to find that the scale of this space was much larger than she had imagined.

Even with the illumination of several braziers, the space in the distance was still shrouded in darkness. Vanna could not see where the end of this "room" was. She could only see the gray-black, slightly rough ground extending out in front of her eyes, all the way to the end of the darkness. At the edge of the light of the braziers, she could vaguely see some huge "pillars", and there were many criss-crossing shadows connecting those pillars. It looked like... a piping system at the bottom of the church ark, or perhaps a supporting structure.

Is this the base of the Pilgrimage Ark?

Why did the Pope receive himself and Bishop Valentine here?

Vanna had doubts in her mind for a moment, but before she could open her mouth, she heard a gentle yet majestic voice coming from the front: "You are here - Saint Valentine and Saint Vanna. Welcome to the Ark."

"Your Holiness," Vanna quickly suppressed her doubts and saluted with Bishop Valentine after adjusting her expression. After the ceremony, she raised her eyes slightly and spoke cautiously, "You summoned us here, is it..."

Helena didn't wait for Vanna to finish, but suddenly asked a somewhat inexplicable question: "Do you know where this place is?"

"Isn't this... the Cathedral of Storms?" Valentine raised his head and blinked in confusion, "The bottom of the Cathedral of Storms?"

"This is indeed right below the Cathedral of Storms, but strictly speaking, it has already separated from the main structure of the cathedral," Helena smiled. In the reflection of several braziers, her smile seemed to hide some deep meaning. "You are standing at the lowest level of the Pilgrimage Ark, in the 'belly' of this giant beast."

She raised her head and her eyes slowly moved between Vanna and Valentine.

"This place is under the watchful eye of the Lord of Storms and is also the closest place to the deep sea. The Lord's blessing and judgment coexist here."

Helena's gaze stopped, but she didn't look at Vanna or Valentine.

She seemed to be speaking to the nothingness in the darkness:

“Is it difficult to continue to perform your duties after your faith has been shaken?”

The expression on Vanna's face froze instantly.

The same thing happened to Valentine next to him.

An unbearable atmosphere of oppression filled this vast and dim space.

After an unknown amount of time, Vanna was the first to react. She took a deep breath and said, "My faith..."

"I didn't ask about your faith," Helena shook her head. "I asked if it became more difficult for you to continue to perform your duties after your faith was shaken."

Vanna was stunned for a moment, and seemed to be unable to react to the deep meaning of the Pope's words. However, Bishop Valentine beside her suddenly understood after a brief moment of surprise. The old bishop immediately said: "I perform my duties as always. Protecting the city-state and guiding the believers are all out of my heart..."

"Very good, Saint Valentine, I am moved by your steadfastness - you should continue to perform your duties as the protector of the city-state of Plande until the end.

“Saint Vanna, I see your confusion. In view of your actual situation, I have to announce the temporary suspension of your duties as Judge Plande.

“This decision is effective immediately.”

Helena spoke very quickly, and she finished before Vanna and Valentine could react.

The two saints at the scene looked at each other.

Valentine: “……?”

Vanna: “……?”